Figure 1.--This photo-back post card was apparently taken by a vicar at a chuch in Huddsfield and sent to boy, Master Harry Smith in Rochville, Connecticut during 1904. Presumably the boys are arriving for Sunday school early Sunday morning. Put your cursor on the image for a closeup of the boys. Notice two boys are wearing Bohr War cavalry hats. Except for these hats, the boys are dresses as if they were going to school with school caps. This is a Church of Christ church, an evagelical denomination.

Since the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church throughout England became associated with education. This was at first to educate the clergy. Over time the Church became more deeply involved with education. The great European uiversities were founded by the Church. As commerce quickened merchants and artisans in the cities wanted their boys educated. Chruchmen were often involved in the schools which developed. The Protestant Reformation was a great boon to education because Prtotestant teaching required individual Bible study requiring literacy. The churches thus became centers if education although this varied from country to country. In the British Isle the Scottish kirk (church) led the way in what would eventualy become public education. The Anglican Church of England was slower to play the same role. And the English Goverment also lagged behind Germany in establishing a public school system. The Industrial Revolution began in England (mid-18th century). Modern writers blame this and child labor with the fact that poor children did not attend school and learn to read. This is simplistic because poor children in rural areas also worked and did not attend school. The idea that child labor brgan with the Industrial Revolution is absurd. Actually it is only with the Industrail Revolution that people began to see child labor as a social problem. Now it may be that there was a lesser degree of exploitation in rural areas, but we have not seen authors addressing his issue with actual data. Nor are we aware of any decline in litracy as a result of the Industrial Revolution. The first Sunday schools appear to have focused more on literacy for poor cgildren than religion, although we do not have much information on this. Journalist Robert Raikes (1725-1811) founded the first Sunday School for poor city children in a kitchen (1780). This is generally seen as the foundation of the Sunday School Movemnent. It was located in Gloucester. His idea to teach poor children on Sunday when they were not working. He wanted to provide baic instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic. Bible study was not his intention when he launched his school. He hired a Mrs. Meredith to teach the children. The concept proved popular and spread. Baptist deacon William Fox suggested including Bible teaching in the new Sunday Schools. Raikes liked the idea and agreed. Thus, the first Sunday Schools from an early point combined both secular and religious teaching. At the time English churches were sending missionaries to far flung points of the Globe so it made sence to ensure that English children were both schooled and learned the Gospel. At the time there was no public school system or laws regulating, let alone pohibiting, child labor. The National Sunday School Union (NSSU) was founded (1802). Slowly as the Government began to restruct child labor and promote public education, sunday schools became more of religious education faccilities than schools teaching reading. The first modest attemps to regulare child labor came in the same year that the NSSU was founded (1802). Christian philanthropists desired to both ensure children learned to read and become God-fearing Christians. As Saturday was a workday, this cpuld only be done on Sunday. Ans as the public school system grew Sunday began to focus increasingly on Bible study and religious education. By the time Raikes died (1811), over 400,000 people, mostly children, were attending Sunday Schools in Britain. And hundreds Sunday Schools had opened in the United States. The American Sunday schools mostly emphasized Biblical instruction over swecular reading and writing. This was because from an early point, Amerucan states founded free public schools for all children, including girls. American churches were vocal advocates for free public schools and evenntually complulsory education. This varied sonewhat regionally. Almost all denominatiins adopted the idea of Sunday schools.

Education

Since the fall of the Roman Empire (5th century), the Church throughout England became associated with education. This was at first to educate the clergy. Over time the Church became more deeply involved with education. The great European uiversities were founded by the Church. As commerce quickened merchants and artisans in the cities wanted their boys educated. Chruchmen were often involved in the schools which developed in part because they were often the best educated people in a community. The Protestant Reformation (16th century) was a great boon to education because Prtotestant teaching required individual Bible study requiring literacy. The churches thus became centers if education although this varied from country to country. In the British Isle the Scottish kirk (church) led the way in what would eventualy become public education. The Anglican Church of England was slower to play the same role. And the English Goverment also lagged behind Germany in establishing a public school system.

The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution began in England (mid-18th century). Modern writers blame this and child labor with the fact that poor children did not attend school and learn to read. This is simplistic because poor children in rural areas also worked and did not attend school. The idea that child labor began with the Industrial Revolution is absurd. Actually it is only with the Industrail Revolution that people began to see child labor as a social problem. Now it may be that there was a lesser degree of exploitation in rural areas, but we have not seen authors addressing his issue with actual data. Nor are we aware of any decline in litracy as a result of the Industrial Revolution.

Early Sunday Schools

The first Sunday schools appear to have focused more on literacy for poor children than religion, although we do not have much information on this. Journalist Robert Raikes (1725-1811) founded the first Sunday School for poor city children in a kitchen (1780). This is generally seen as the foundation of the Sunday School Movemnent. It was located in Gloucester. His idea to teach poor children on Sunday when they were not working. He wanted to provide baic instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic. Bible study was not his intention when he launched his school. He hired a Mrs. Meredith to teach the children. The concept proved popular and spread. Baptist deacon William Fox suggested including Bible teaching in the new Sunday Schools. Raikes liked the idea and agreed. Thus, the first Sunday Schools from an early point combined both secular and religious teaching. At the time English churches were sending missionaries to far flung points of the Globe so it made sence to ensure that English children were both schooled and learned the Gospel. At the time there was no public school system or laws regulating, let alone pohibiting, child labor.

Shift to Religious Studies

The National Sunday School Union (NSSU) was founded (1802). Slowly as the Government began to restruct child labor and promote public education, sunday schools became more of religious education faccilities than schools teaching reading. The first modest attemps to regulare child labor came in the same year that the NSSU was founded (1802). Christian philanthropists desired to both ensure children learned to read and become God-fearing Christians. As Saturday was a workday, this cpuld only be done on Sunday. Ans as the public school system grew Sunday began to focus increasingly on Bible study and religious education. By the time Raikes died (1811), over 400,000 people, mostly children, were attending Sunday Schools in Britain. And hundreds Sunday Schools had opened in the United States. The American Sunday schools mostly emphasized Biblical instruction over secular reading and writing. This was because from an early point, American states founded public schools for all children, including girls. American churches were vocal advocates for free public schools and evenntually complulsory education. This varied sonewhat regionally. Almost all denominatiins adopted the idea of Sunday schools.

Sunday School Movement (19th century)

The modern concept of a Sunday School is education programs organized by churches, primarily for its parishers. Often the childrn attended Sunday School while the adults attnded cgurch. This varied from church to church. This is not how the Sunday School Moverment developed in England. It was a multi-/cross-denomininational movement, at least among Protestant denominations. Often they did not even use estanlished church fcilities. Through local subscription, building were built that were not affiliated with local curches or denominations. The buildings were often multi-purpose wuth class rooms as well as hall ghst could host public lecture. Af first, while basic literacy education was part of the program, adults might attend with the children. This declined as literacy rates increased. Gradually the larger denominations became interested in developing their own Sunday School programs. Methodists churcheswere some of the first to withdrew from the Large Sunday School and built their own. The Anglicans began set up their own 'National' schools that would act as both Sunday Schools and day schools. These schools were the some of the precursors to England's public school system. The Education Act 1870 fundamentally changes the situation. It essentially provided the legal foundation for a nationl public education system. This mean that Sunsay Schools began to shift toward strictly religious instruction. There is not much photographic evidence as photography in the 19th century was mostly studio work.

Sunday Schools (20th century)

The Sunday School Movement was still very strong in the early 20th century and include both multi-denominational efforts abd the efforts by individual chuches and denominations. And unlike the 19yth century there is a wealth of photographic evidence of Sunday school activities, including a range of outdoor activities. Here we see a Sunday School scene in June 1919. Notice all the white clothing. After World War I a new activity became popular. Sunday schools began promoting sports which was a popular deaw for children, expecially the boys. Sunday schools forned teans and competed in Sunday School Leagues. The Multi-denomanational Sunday School buildings served as faculutirs to hosting amateur dramatics and concert groups. Agyer World War II the Multi-denominational Sunday School movement declined as increasing individual churches oromoted their own denominational effort. Overall Church attendanbce, however was falling. This was the case in England as well as much of Europe. This of course has affected Sunday School participation.

Created: 11:06 AM 4/11/2014
Last updated: 11:06 AM 4/11/2014